Earth scraper



April 13, 1967 R. c. PETTY 'ETAL 3,314,175

EARTH SCRAPER Filed Aug. 15, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet l GEAR 50X INVENTORSREED C. PE T'TY CURTIS M. F166 ATTORNEY April 18, 1967 R. c. PETTY ETAL3,314,175

' EARTH SCRAPER Filed Aug. 15, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 BYMZMA T )MM/ ATTOIZN EV April 18, 1957 R. c. PETTY ETAL 3,314,175

EARTH SCRAPER Filed Aug. 15, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR5 REED C. PETV CUQTIS M. FIG-3G A! TORN EY United States Patent 3,314,175 EARTH'SCRAPER Reed C. Petty, Van Nuys, and Curtis M. Figg, La Canada, Calif.;said Figg assignor to said Petty and Helen de Francia C. Petty, both ofVan Nuys, Calif.

Filed Aug. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 572,282 2 Claims. (Cl. 37-108) Thisapplication is a continuation-in-part of our previous application Ser.No. 300,444 filed Aug. 7, 1963, for Earth Scraper, and now abandoned.

This invention relates in general to earth moving equipment andespecially to equipment adapted to separate earth substance from itsplace in situ and move it to another place as a continuous flow ofmaterial, in counterdistinction to batch removal,

The plow disc of the prior art elevating grader era simply travels alongat the towing vehicle speed, shearing the material and rolling it overonto a belt.

Modern earth moving equipment is much more refined than this priorequipment, but the greater majority of earth moving equipment stillremains of the scoop-batch classification. Huge vehicles are employedwhich have bottom openings capable of dropping down, gouging the earthand causing the material to force itself along the scoop edge upwardlyinto the hopper of the vehicle until full. Such equipment is then movedto the new location, thus requiring extreme power availability forloading, which power is sometimes far less efliciently employed as thebatch of material is then transported to its new location.

Other various types of equipment are employed for specific purposes,some of which are ideally adapted to their particular function, and someof which are not.

More modernly, a disintegrating machine 'having cutting and impactaction, as described in US. Patent 2,062,232 has been devised forstripping the wearing course 0E of a pavement. It consists essentiallyof a drum carrying a plurality of lugs which cut away pavement chips,and the chips are then plowed away by a blade.

Another pavement tool is shown in US. Patent 3,072,391. This laterstructure provides for a plurality of closely spaced cutter memberspivotally mounted on a shaft, and means to revolve the shaft around acentral horizontal axis. The individual cutter members chip away theasphalt pavement cover. Aconveyor is placed laterally of the cuttermembers to carry away the material, The cutters and conveyor are carriedon a common carriage, which is in the form of a shroud to protectworkmen. As the shroud is lowered, the cutters dig deeper into thesurface, and the conveyor goes along in a fixed relationship.

This invention is directed to earth removal and is intended to providehigh speed removal and re-deposit of earthy material by the divotprinciple. That is, by severing and propelling earth from its place andcausing it to move to a remote location by lifting free of the earth andassume a trajectory path to a target. A divot is severed from itssupport and projected a distance to a conveyor target.

According to this invention, there is provided a plurality of smallearth working implements with a variable speed of implement movementabout a peripheral path, either forward or reverse, and independent ofthe speed of the vehicle or frame carrying the implements. The

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implements may be mounted on a drum or link belt structure andpreferably are provided with means to elevate the path of travel withrespect to the material being attacked.

In handling of some material, the direction of rotation will be in thedirection of the vehicle employed to carry the implements, and in othermaterial, it will be in the reverse direction. This will enable theselection of a striking velocity of the implements suitable to theparticular material to be removed and transported. Furthermore, spikesor other suitable configurations of cutting, crushing, and shatteringtools are employed along with earth scoops as such implements. Thus,this invention permits tailoring the striking velocity and form ofimplements to fit a specific need, material by material, area by area,even to the extent of a change in conditions for each foot of travel ofthe supporting frame. For example, it sometimes occurs that theoperation in proceeding in sandy material, and suddenly sandstone isencountered. Immediately, the carrying vehicle of this invention may beslowed and a striking velocity of the device carrying the implementsincreased.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to remove earth from itslocation in relatively small discrete quantities as compared to thetotal per hour capacity of the device, and to transfer the material thusremoved to a transport means for a continuous process of earth movementand removal.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an earth movingdevice adapted to impact against the earth portion to be removed andthus cause a rapid erosion of the material.

A further object of the invention is to provide equipment to move largequantities of material in a minimum of time.

A further object of the invention is to provide an earth moving devicehaving a blade carriage in which the carriage has a link connecting thecarriage to the frame of the vehicle carrying the carriage in order thatthe carriage may be raised and lowered through an arcuate path and heldby the mobile frame against the impact forces created in divotseparation of earth from its place.

A further object of the invention is to hang the blade carriage byseparate hydraulic support means located at opposite sides of thecarriage axis in order that the carriage may be adjusted in its attitudewith respect to the work being worked, regardless of the attitude of themobile frame which supports the carriage.

A still further object of the invention is to tie together the targetconveyor and the blade carriage by a link which causes the conveyor tochange its angular relationship with respect to the flying divots as theblade carriage is elevated and/ or tilted with respect to the earthssurface.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a motor andvariable speed transmission drive for the blade carriage in order thatthe speed of the cutting blade may be geared directly to the type ofcutting being encountered during work operations.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparenthereinafter, a preferred form of the present invention is disclosed inthe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a mobile frame adapted for beingtowed behind a prime mover, with a preferred embodiment of means forcarrying earth cutting implements or utensils in a peripheral path withrespect to the earths surface.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the device illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the device of FIGURE 1 as viewedsubstantially from the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation view of a self-powered mobile frameembodying the principles of this invention.

FIGURE 5 is a detail illustration of a conveyor system as takensubstantially along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a detail illustration of one arrangement of a drum andconveyor earth moving combination.

FIGURE 8 is an alternative embodiment for reverse direction ofoperation.

- FIGURE 9 is a detail illustrating the arrangement of an implement onthe surface of a drum carrier.

FIGURE 10 is taken along the line 10--10 of FIG- URE 9; and

FIGURE 11 is a schematic illustration showing a flexible beltarrangement for carrying earth working implements.

The invention resides in the general concept of structure andcooperation of structural devices, all as set forth in the appendedclaims, but certain embodiments of the general invention are set forthin detail in the drawlugs, and explained herein, in order that thoseskilled in this particular art may understand the invention sufficientlyto make and use the invention in various embodiments within the scope ofthe claims which define the invention.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, a type of apparatus adaptedto be towed by a prime mover is illustrated. In this embodiment, amobile frame 10 is supported at the rear by dual load wheels 11 and 12,suitable for carrying relatively heavy loads.

To the forward part of the frame 10 is located a plurality of scarifyingdiscs 13 supported by arm means 14 pivotly secured to the frame 10, andby hydraulic cylinder means 15. Cylinder means 15 is thereby able toextend the location of the discs 13 from the frame 10 a distancenecessary to place a greater or a lesser amount of load upon the discsand thereby cause a greater or lesser scarifying action to the earth.Discs 13 operate in the manner of the well known farm type of discharrow employed to loosen and break up packed soil.

A drum blade carriage is mounted by axle 21 upon the frame 10 by meansof hydraulic cylinders 22 as one example of a means to provide a movingperipheral path. Cylinders 22 are in turn mounted upon cross framemember 23. Thus, the height and tilt of the drum blade carriage 20 maybe selected with respect to the frame 10 according to the need of theparticular soil. Thus, there is provided a first vertically adjustablehydraulic support means holding a first end of said blade carriage, asecond vertically adjustable hydraulic support means holding a secondend of said blade carriage. The first and second hydraulic means holdsthe blades in any adjusted attitude for establishing a cutting actionfixed in said arcuate path to dig into said earth formation.

The drum is equipped with a plurality of implements 24, which may bespikes, scoops, a combination of both or other devices adapted to impactinto the substance over which the frame 10 travels, and move thatsubstance with respect to the frame. Preferably, the implements take theform of broad, flat surfaces arranged in paths which spiral around theaxis of the blade carriage to create smaller load increments.

An engine 25 is provided in the particular embodiment shown in FIGURES 1and 2, and drives through transmission 26 to rotate the drum 20independent of the speed of travel of the frame 10. Transmission 26 maybe selected from a number of standard transmissions, and

operated by automatic or manual controls. Therefore, only a generalrepresentation is made in the drawings. This structure represents avariable speed transmission means for controlling the speed and power ofsaid blades to produce a severing and propelling force which is relatedto the earth structure being moved for causing the severed material tolift free of the earth and assume a trajectory path to a target spacedfrom the point of emergcnce of said blades from said formation.

Thus, the drum 20 with the implements 24 thereon typifies the concept ofthe present invention wherein a plurality of earth cutters are carriedin a frame wit-h means for moving the cutters into the earth over whichthe frame is traveling at a striking velocity greater than the velocityof the frame, such that engaged earth material is caused to moverelative to the frame. The blades are driven into an earth formation tobe moved. The path of travel is substantially tangential to the depthlevel to be excavated.

The amounts of material moved by each of the implements 24 which aredesigned to move earth rather than to loosen the earth, is relativelysmall in comparison with the total amount of material that theillustrated and described structure is able to handle in a given periodof time. That is, this invention is designed to loosen and remove bysmall increments rather than to shovel a large batch of earth from itslocation.

In order to take the material thus removed from its location, a beltconveyor 30 is located by a support arm 31 relative to the drum 20 andis adapted to thereby receive and transport loosened and deliveredmaterial upwardly to the location of a conveyor 32 mounted laterally ofthe frame, as best seen in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. The arm 31 servesas a pivoted link interconnecting the blade carriage and the conveyor,whereby the conveyor is related to the tilt and elevation of the bladecarriage for efiicient reception of severed earth.

Conveyor 32 then transports the material laterally to a conveyor 33, asshown in FIGURE 3 of the drawings. The conveyor 33 is supported by awheeled support 34 and is adjustable in height and attitude in orderthat the material may be deposited laterally of the apparatus, or intoanother transport device as the need may be.

FIGURE 4 of the drawings illustrates a self propelled version of theinvention with useful modifications. In FIGURE 4, a tractor 50 isemployed to furnish the motive power, and is equipped with a centralstructural beam frame 51 to which the working apparatus of the structureis attached.

Drum 52 is held against lateral t-hrust by a support arm 53, andadjusted in vertical relationship to the beam 51 by means of hydrauliccylinder means 55. Thus, there is provided two spaced and verticallyadjustable hydraulic supporting means holding the ends of the drum forseparate adjustment to control the attitude of the drum with respect tothe surface being worked.

A scarifying disc apparatus 57 is mounted forward of the drum 52 andserves the purpose of scarifying and loosening the earth.

A conveyor assembly 59 having a conveyor belt 60 is supported from thebeam 51 by means of cylinders 61 which thereby provide a landelevational and attitude control. Arms 54 serve .as pivoted linksinterconnecting the blade carriage and conveyor for attitude control.-

Anti-sway structure 62 enables the conveyor assembly 59 to resist thestrong lateral thrust of moving the large quantities of earth materialdeposited thereon by the efficient operation of the drum 52. Thisanti-sway device 62, as in the version illustrated, employs arms 63 and64 pivotly united. Arm 64 is attached to the carriage supportingconveyor belt 60 by means of aplate 65. Arm 63 is carried by the beam51. Thus, the lateral thrust of the belt will be transmitted to the beam51 regardless of the elevational position of the conveyor.

A conveyor extension 66 is pivotly secured at the end of conveyor 60 andis elevated and supported by means of a cable device 67. Thus, materialwhich is loosened and moved by the impact of the implements carried bydrum 52 will be fed to the conveyor 60 and in turn to the conveyor 66and hence to a remote location or to another transport device, as may bedesired.

FIGURES 7 and 8 are provided to contrast two modes of operation. InFIGURE 7 the drum 52 shown in the modification of FIGURES 4 and 6, isprovided with implements adapted to move earth toward the conveyor 60 byrotation in a clockwise direction thus catching the material and forcingit through a guide 75 to the conveyor 60. By contrast, the FIGURE 8illustrates a counterclockwise direction of operation of a similar drum,indicated by reference character 77, having cutter and scoop implements79. Because it is operating counterclockwise, there will be a tendencyto throw material by centrifugal force and therefore a cover 81 isemployed to compel the loose material to stay within the operatingconfines of the implements, and the material is thus moved rearwardly tofall down upon conveyor 60. The cover 81 is held in position by ayieldable spring retainer 83 in order to accommodate hard lumps, stonesand other such material too large for the confining area.

FIGURE 9 is a section through a suitable scoop implement showing themanner in which the small implements are employed on the periphery ofthe drive device in order to pick up relatively small quantities ofmaterial, but being great in number to thereby provide a large quantityof material. The FIGURE 10 is a plan view of such an implement.

The FIGURE 11 illustrates a still further embodiment of the inventionwherein a flexible belt device 90 is guided in a peripheral path overguide rollers 91. Such an arrangement enables the selective operation ofthe travel of the implements within confined spaces, and also to providea greater contact area along the surface being worked. Thus, instead ofa theoretical tangential conact, the contact area may be furtherextended. This is particularly useful in some types of earth structuresresistant to the drum type of operation, and also provides a lessertotal weight of the mechanical structure.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in whatis conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosedherein but is to be afforded the fuil scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for severing earth from its place and causing it to move toa remote location, comprising the combination of:

a mobile frame;

a blade carriage having link means connecting said carriage to saidframe for movement through an arcuate path;

a plurality of rigid cutting blades of broad side face carried by saidblade carriage and spiralling with respect to the central axis of theblade carriage;

means for driving said blade carriage to drive said cuting blades broadside forward, through an annular path in a first direction to penetratean earth formation, and to emerge from said earth formation at an anglewith respect to the surface thereof;

a first vertically adjustable hydraulic support means holding a firstend of said blade carriage, a second vertically adjustable hydraulicsupport means holding a second end of said blade carriage, said first and second hydraulic means holding said blades in any adjusted attitudefor establishing a cutting action fixed in said arcuate path to dig intosaid earth formation;

variable speed transmission means for controlling the speed and power ofsaid blades to produce a severing and propelling force which isrelatedto the earth structure being moved for causing the severedmaterial to lift free of the earth and assume a trajectory path to atarget spaced from the point of emergence of said blades from saidformation;

conveyor means located 'at said target for catching and removing severedearth formation material, said conveyor means extending laterally beyondsaid blades; two spaced and vertically adjustable hydraulic hangerssupporting said conveyor in any adjusted attitude, and pivoted linksinterconnecting said blade carriage and said conveyor whereby saidconveyor is related to the tilt and elevation of the blade carriage forefiicient reception of severed earth; and

means for transporting said blades and conveyor means along said earthformation at a speed independent of the cutting blade speed and in adirection opposed to said annular path first direction;

whereby the severed material is placed upon said conveyor means andmoved laterally out of the path of cutting.

2. Apparatus for severing earth from its place and causing it to move toa remote location, comprising the combination of:

a mobile frame;

a blade carriage having link means connecting said carriage to saidframe for movement through an arcuate path;

a rigid impeller cutting blade of broad side face carried by saidcarriage; means for driving said blade carriage to drive said cuttingblade broad side forward in an arcuate path in a first direction into anearth formation to be moved, said path being substantially tangential tothe depth level to be excavated, two spaced vertically adjustablehydraulic hangers holding said blade carriage adjustable in angularattitude with respect to an earth formation supporting said frame, saidhangers holding said blade fixed in said arcuate path and angle ofadjustment to dig into said earth formation; motor and variable speedtransmission means for forcing said blade into said formation and formoving said arcuate path of blade movement along the earth formation incoordinated relationship to produce a load opposed to the blade ofsubstantially uniform magnitude; means for adjusting the speed and powerof said blade to produce a severing and propelling force which isrelated to the earth structure being moved for causing the severedmaterial to lift free of the earth and assume 'a velocity which willeffect sliding of the material from the cutting blade along a trajectorypath at an angle to said depth level intermediate a tangent to saidarcuate path at the location of departure from said cutting blade andsaid depth level;

conveyor means for catching and removing severed material, said conveyormeans extending laterally beyond said blade;

two spaced and vertically adjustable hydraulic hangers supporting saidconveyor in any adjusted attitude, and pivoted links interconnectingsaid blade carriage and said conveyor whereby said conveyor is relatedto the tilt and elevation of the blade carriage for efiicient receptionof severed earth; and

means for transporting said blade and conveyor means along said earthformation at a speed independent of the cutting blade speed, and in adirection opposed to said first direction thereof;

whereby the severed material is placed upon said conveyor means andmoved laterally out of the path of cutting.

(References on following page) References Cited by the Examiner UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 21,873 1904 Great Britain. 5 1 5 i b 37 X 926,347 5/1963Great Britain. 5/1932 S I 37 108 39,939 4/1957 Poland.

U g f z n ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner. 1/ 1963 McDarrah 37190 R.L. HOLLISTER, Assistant Examiner.

FOREIGN PATENTS

1. APPARATUS FOR SEVERING EARTH FROM ITS PLACE AND CAUSING IT TO MOVE TOA REMOTE LOCATION, COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF: A MOBILE FRAME; ABLADE CARRIAGE HAVING LINK MEANS CONNECTING SAID CARRIAGE TO SAID FRAMEFOR MOVEMENT THROUGH AN ARCUATE PATH; A PLURALITY OF RIGID CUTTINGBLADES OF BROAD SIDE FACE CARRIED BY SAID BLADE AND SPIRALLING WITHRESPECT TO THE CENTRAL AXIS OF THE BLADE CARRIAGE; MEANS FOR DRIVINGSAID BLADE CARRIAGE TO DRIVE SAID CUTING BLADES BROAD SIDE FORWARD,THROUGH AN ANNULAR PATH IN A FIRST DIRECTION TO PENETRATE AN EARTHFORMATION, AND TO EMERGE FROM SAID EARTH FORMATION AT AN ANGLE WITHRESPECT TO THE SURFACE THEREOF; A FIRST VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE HYDRAULICSUPPORT MEANS HOLDING A FIRST END OF SAID BLADE CARRIAGE, A SECONDVERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE HYDRAULIC SUPPORT MEANS HOLDING A SECOND END OFSAID BLADE CARRIAGE, SAID FIRST AND SECOND HYDRAULIC MEANS HOLDING SAIDBLADES IN ANY ADJUSTED ATTITUDE FOR ESTABLISHING A CUTTING ACTION FIXEDIN SAID ARCUATE PATH TO DIG INTO SAID EARTH FORMATION; VARIABLE SPEEDTRANSMISSION MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE SPEED AND POWER OF SAID BLADES TOPRODUCE A SEVERING AND PROPELLING FORCE WHICH IS RELATED TO THE EARTHSTRUCTURE BEING MOVED FOR CAUSING THE SEVERED MATERIAL TO LIFT FREE OFTHE EARTH AND ASSUME A TRAJECTORY PATH TO A TARGET SPACED FROM THE POINTOF EMERGENCE OF SAID BLADES FROM SAID FORMATION; CONVEYOR MEANS LOCATEDAT SAID TARGET FOR CATCHING AND REMOVING SEVERED EARTH FORMATIONMATERIAL, SAID CONVEYOR MEANS EXTENDING LATERALLY BEYOND SAID BLADES;TWO SPACED AND VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE HYDRAULIC HANGERS SUPPORTING SAIDCONVEYOR IN ANY ADJUSTED ATTITUDE, AND PIVOTED LINKS INTERCONNECTINGSAID BLADE CARRIAGE AND SAID CONVEYOR WHEREBY SAID CONVEYOR IS RELATEDTO THE TILT AND ELEVATION OF THE BLADE CARRIAGE FOR EFFICIENT RECEPTIONOF SEVERED EARTH; AND MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING SAID BLADES AND CONVEYORMEANS ALONG SAID EARTH FORMATION AT A SPEED INDEPENDENT OF THE CUTTINGBLADE SPEED AND IN A DIRECTION OPPOSED TO SAID ANNULAR PATH FIRSTDIRECTION; WHEREBY THE SEVERED MATERIAL IS PLACED UPON SAID CONVEYORMEANS AND MOVED LATERALLY OUT OF THE PATH OF CUTTING.